USC quarterback duels: Jaxson Dart-Kedon Slovis isn’t the first; here are five others

Jaxson Dart has played in one college football game, and the freshman emerged from it as the Pac-12’s offensive player of the week.

Kedon Slovis has played in 21 games, passing for nearly 6,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, and the junior is widely considered a future first-round NFL draft pick.

USC interim head coach Donte Williams has billed what’s to come as a “quarterback battle,” but, because of injuries for each player, it’s unclear how much of it will be staged at this week’s practices leading into Saturday night’s game against Oregon State at the Coliseum.

The X-rays on Slovis’ neck injury sustained at Washington State — which led to Dart coming into the game — were negative, according to Williams. He expects Slovis to be available for practice. On Monday night during his appearance on “Trojans Live,” Williams revealed Dart has a knee issue and is “day to day.” For now, the Trojans plan to hold him out as a precaution.

If Slovis practices and Dart doesn’t, one would think he’ll take the first snap against the Beavers. But it appears the fight for the starting job has only begun.

Dart, the reigning Gatorade national player of the year, had his teammates raving about his play-making ability, with one comparing him to No. 3 overall NFL draft pick Sam Darnold, the last great Trojan quarterback.

Even at USC, where heated quarterback competitions have become the expectation the last two decades, this one feels like it could be quite spicy.

As a prelude to Slovis versus Dart, here’s a look at five quarterback decisions that shaped the modern era of USC football: